Salvation Army

The Trump administration’s latest federal budget blueprint proposes less spending for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Advocacy group Empower Missouri estimates there will be at least $7.4 billion cuts in federal investments for housing for low-income people.

That concerns supporters of affordable housing and community development in Missouri. Jeanette Mott Oxford, executive director of Empower Missouri, said she finds the effects from the suggested budget on Missouri’s low-income housing options worrisome.

Updated at 4:50 p.m. July 26 with additional comments from the ceremony — In 2014, the burned-out Ferguson QuikTrip quickly became a national symbol of a community’s frustration over police brutality. Local and national leaders hope the building that replaced the convenience store becomes a symbol of hope.

Nonprofit, corporate and political leaders gathered Wednesday to celebrate the grand opening of the Ferguson Community Empowerment Center. It also served as the opening of the National Urban League’s annual conference, which is in St. Louis through Saturday.

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat advisory for the St. Louis area until 7 p.m. Thursday. Temperatures are expected in the mid-to-upper 90's, with high humidity levels, on both Wednesday and Thursday.

Those who need relief from the heat can seek shelter at cooling stations across the area.

The Salvation Army routinely responds to heat advisories by opening cooling centers where people can rest in air conditioned rooms and receive cold water. The cooling centers will remain open during their individually posted hours until the heat advisory is lifted.

Another St. Louis agency is expanding its capacity to provide a long-term solution to homelessness in the region.

The Salvation Army has converted a dormitory-style building on Washington Ave. into 58 one-bedroom apartments. The apartments are slated for people with a variety of needs, including children aging out of foster care, people with disabilities and the chronically homeless.

Rev. Larry Rice directed about 20 homeless persons to a mall in Fairview Heights on Tuesday to underscore the lack of shelters in St. Clair County.

Rice says many homeless persons seeking refuge from the triple-digit temperatures wind up across the river at his shelter downtown.

“Belleville represents what we see in so many municipalities," Rice said. "Where people just aren’t dealing with the homeless. They’re closing shelters. We saw a shelter close here – the Salvation Army – in 2009. They made no other arrangements for the homeless.”

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: November 19, 2008 - Those providing meals and Thanksgiving fixings to people in need say that they will have many more mouths to feed this year. But they're hopeful that there will be plenty of turkey, stuffing and other holiday goodies to go around.